Neresh Pather and Sugen Pillay land top role at Consulting Engineers SA

Consulting Engineers South Africa (CESA) has announced a change of leadership. Neresh Pather, a Director at Mott MacDonald, has been appointed President of the association, while Sugen Pillay, Managing Director of Zitholele Consulting, has been named Deputy President. The two-year tenure sees both senior advisors work on behalf of CESA’s more than 540 associated firms to support the joint interests of the consulting engineering industry.

The Consulting Engineers South Africa (CESA) is an association of member firms, which represents the interests of the industry, particularly its 540 members and their circa 23,000 employees. The bodies range from large multinational, multidisciplinary suppliers of a comprehensive range of planning, design and project delivery services, to many small to medium-sized firms that tend to specialise in selected areas of the project delivery process.

The CESA recently announced that it has instated its 64th President, who will preside over a two-year tenure. Neresh Pather, a Director in the Africa and Transportation business unit of Mott MacDonald, was appointment at the organisation’s Annual General Meeting held at the CESA Seminar in Johannesburg. He is joined by Sugen Pillay, Managing Director of Zitholele Consulting, who has been appointed Deputy President of CESA, also for a two-year tenure. He succeeds Lynne Pretorius, who is currently a Director at ITS Engineers.

Pather brings more than 25 years of engineering consulting industry experience to the role. He has been with Mott MacDonald for the past two decades, following more than 12 years at PD Naidoo & Associates Consulting Engineers, which was acquired by Mott MacDonald in 1997; he was then the firm’s CEO. His current role at the global engineering consultancy firm, which has 17 offices across Africa, is largely focused on leading the firm’s work in the transportation sector across Africa.

Remarking on his new role at the helm of CESA, Pather said, “I am truly humbled by the privilege bestowed upon me to lead our industry. I hope that CESA will be able to renew and reinvent itself to increase our relevance to both our clients and young professionals, who will ultimately take over the leadership of the industry. We will seek to broaden our scope as the industry transforms over the coming years to make sure that CESA becomes more inclusive and relevant and is able to put the industry at the forefront of its mind through effective ethical leadership.”

The incoming President reflects on his incumbents’ contribution to the CESA, adding, “I wish to thank Lynne for her commitment, sacrifice and hard work during her tenure as CESA president, especially in dealing with some hard-hitting issues. I’d also like to thank Lynne’s company, ITS Engineers, as well as her family for allowing her to serve the industry for the past two years.”

Incoming Deputy President, Sugen Pillay graduated from the University of Natal with a BSc. Hons in Civil Engineering, and has since completed a Post Graduate Diploma in Civil Engineering and an MBA. He is the Managing Director of Zitholele Consulting, a greater-Johannesburg based engineering consultancy.